tiny vessels
by dinamarie
Summary: The first time she didn't like him. The second time the feeling was mutual. The third the tore each other apart with words and for some reason couldn't stop thinking about the other. But by the fourth time she had someone else. That made him upset.


**Disclaimer. **I only own everyone you don't know. Everyone else belongs to the wonderful Tamora Pierce.

Also this is my first story ever so please R&R 3

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Traffic on the main road to the capital city of Emelan could sometimes be slow. Summersea was, after all, a bustling city with traffic always crowding the streets. But never in Briar Moss' nineteen years could he remember a time when it was as slow as this. There probably was a time but the heat of the day and the rate of the speed had made him impatient and tired as he sat astride his dark chestnut mare, surveying the caravans, wagons, horses, buildings and generally everything he could see with great unconcern. While his body may have physically been located on the street his mind was elsewhere.

_When I get home, you three had better not have eaten all the food, _Briar thought crossly to his foster sisters through their magical connection.

_Typical Briar, _Daja spoke to all of her siblings as she and her sisters rolled their eyes at him, _Stuck in traffic coming home and all you can think about is you're stomach._

_It's not surprising, _Added his sister Tris dryly,_considering his stomach is his one true love._

_He even loves his stomach more than us_, Sandry put in with a sniff.

_Ah yes. But you all are a close second,_ Briar told them, the sound of a grin creeping into his mind voice as he finished the conversation with his family.

His mind joined his body in the long parade of the traffic that seemed to stretch on endlessly before fading into a shimmering haze, the heat rising blurring out anything to far away. He scowled his distance for the heat and slow moving traffic, grumbling to himself and his horse as the animal shifted position, feeling the tension in her master.

The low murmur and buzz of the traffic was rent apart by a child's gleeful squeal, causing Briar to give a small start and his eyes to flicker through the crowd, searching for the source of the cheerful cry. The sound was quickly followed by the bellow of a woman, one that obviously did not share her child's enthusiasm.

"**Hugo! Hugo, come back here! Hugo Lexington get back here this instant or, Trader log it, you will be in a world of trouble!"** The female was obviously very displeased as she called for her child to return to her, **"Blast it! Go fetch your brother while I mind the others. Go on! Hop to!" **The woman ordered a companion.

As the traffic surged forward all of two feet Briar caught a glimpse of a short, slim, red faced woman who was obviously the source of the bellow. She glared back down the street, obviously critical of her son and the person she'd sent after him before turning her glare to the cart she stood behind. It was filled with a pile of giggling children who lay bunched together on the bed of the wagon, obviously finding the whole ordeal delightful.

Briar raised his eyebrows at the group, curious to as whether all the children were that of the woman.

That's too many kids for just that one woman, Briar told himself as he considered the group again, spotting the resemblance they all bore each other, some more than others. His attention switched form the group to two people racing between carts and horses, making a decent amount of noise as they did.

"**Hugo! Slow down! Hugo, curse you! Do you want old Circe to loose her temper? Are you suicidal or some such thing?" **Briar followed the two bobbing figures through the mess of people. The one that had spoken appeared to be a teenager, around his age or just shy of it, and female from the light, almost melodic sound of her voice, although it was hard to tell in appearance as the two ducked and dodged constantly, weaving their way through the people with a precession that only came with practice. Obviously this was not the first time the girl had been forced to venture into large crowds in pursuit of the child that bounced away before her. The boy giggled delightfully as he scampered away, his red hair flying as he moved, smooth as syrup through the crowds, heading straight towards Briar.

Almost without thinking Briar found himself swinging out of the saddle and taking two broad steps into the approaching child's path. He held his arms out in front of him, partly to stop the boy if he tried to run into him and partly to grab him up if he dodged. He got a hand around the boys arm and shifted so he could loop an arm around the child's waist and pull him close, stopping him and making it harder for the child to squirm.

"**Kid,"** Briar addressed the youngster he held in his arms,**"I think it'd be best for all parties involved if you just sit tight and pipe down. Other wise you may start to wear away at whatever fragments of patience I have left."** Briar spoke clearly, his voice crisp as he informed the boy on how to behave. By that time though the girl had reach them and was panting heavily as she grasped her brother's arm and gently removed him from Briar's grip.

"**Thank you, for stopping my brother. It was very nice of you to intervene."** The girl spoke in just a slightly accented voice as she inclined her head in thanks and glared silently down at the boy before looking back up at Briar, **"But I could've managed myself," **Her voice had changed from polite to cold as her eyes gazed stonily at Briar.

In the way of the children in the cart ahead of them, the two siblings looked alike, although strangely not alike. Their faces both showed wide ranges of emotion and they shared the same cheeks and there was something reminiscent about each other in their pale heart shaped faces. But the two still looked different in more ways than one, as Briar could tell. His eyes searched her face eagerly, taking in all of her features greedily. She had fair skin dotted here and there with sprinklings of freckles and deep, intent blue eyes that seemed to bore a hole through Briar. They were framed by too long lashes and set over a nose of no account, except maybe for that fact that it turned up ever so slightly. Her cheeks were ruddy, even after she'd cooled down from her run and were a great contrast between the pale skin that covered the rest of her. Her features were refined and doll like as she looked at her, her faces bemused and tired, dark red brown locks falling in waves to about her shoulders and pieces sticking to her faces. He took this in quickly and classified her among the average girls.

Briar cocked one eyebrow at the girl and the child she held, considering the tone of her voice, **"Well you don't see any one saying you couldn't,"** Briar told her smoothly, **"I certainly am not, I just though that perhaps the help would be welcome."**

Almost before the words were out of his mouth she was speaking her again, her voice still polite and chilled, **"I am not saying that the help is not welcome --- stop that,"** She said, her last comment obviously directed at the child she held who tugged on a hank of her hair. She scowled down at him as she pulled her hair free and he returned the look with an almost wolf like grin, **"I am merely pointing out that it wasn't necessary and by intervening you were wasting your efforts on something that could be accomplished without them. That doesn't mean I'm not grateful." **Briar met her steely gaze with a slight glare of his own. Why was she so unwilling to accept his help?

He opened his mouth to counter her argument but whatever it was he was going to voice was drowned out by another bellow from the small red-faced woman.

"**Eloide is you have the time to stand around chatting idly than obviously you have had the time to be back up here already. Hurry up girl! We don't have all day, Trader mark it!"**

Briar raised another eyebrow at the girl in front of him as she flushed red, this one in mockery, **"Your mother is calling, Eloide."** He told her, making her name turn into something that almost resembled an insult, **"That's and unusual name."** He commented.

The girl --- Eloide, her mother had called her --- rolled her eyes and blushed, **"Our family is filled with unusual name. Even this fine lad has one," **she said, now smiling down at the child she held as he giggled, **"Don't you Hugo?" **The two siblings smiled in unison at each other and Eloide started to turn away before remembering the little manners she appeared to possess. She bobbed an almost curtsey at Briar, **"Thank you."** She told him hastily, any hint of a chill gone from her voice. She gave him a small genuine smile and turned in a swish of skirts and dark hair, hurrying away back up the street. Briar watched her go, frowning deeply as he remounted his mare. There was something odd about the girl and their meeting, and most definitely her family, but he quickly pushed it to the back of his mind as he surged forward with the traffic, this time continuing to move at a normal pace. Apparantly whatever had been causing the slow pace had passed and Briar would soon be at home. He reached a hang back to touch the_shakkan_ tied in place behind him, letting the cool calm of the old tree flow up his arm and was over him. He smiled content and squeezed between two large carts and cut off another rider, aiming for an alley that would shorten his trip considerably if he could reach it before others crowded it.

Almost home, Briar thought focusing on that, Almost.


End file.
